Raksha Bandhan is a festival which is dedicated to the relationship and bonding of brothers and sisters, but this sacred thread has many other aspects and significances attached to it. 

In Sanskrit, Raksha Bandhan simply means ‘the bond of protection and thus it signifies the bond between brother and sister. To celebrate this bond, a simple ceremony is performed when a sister ties Rakhi on the wrist of her brother as he promises to protect her from all the troubles and obstacles in life. Both sisters and brothers then treat each other with gifts and surprises.

Did you know the first ever rakhi was tied by a wife to her husband?

Interestingly, there are several stories on how the tradition of Raksha Bandhan initially began but one of the most followed tales is associated with Lord Indra and his wife Indrani.

As per Hindu mythology, once Gods were about to lose a war against the demons and with this fear Lord Indra approached his Guru, Brihaspati to take his advice. Guru Brihaspati then asked Lord Indra to get a Rakhi tied on his wrist by his wife Indrani. As said by the Guru, Indrani tied the sacred amulet on Lord Indra’s wrist as a symbol of protection against all harm and obstacles and won the war against the demons, thus began the tradition of Raksha Bandhan.
 
Though, the first ever Rakhi was tied by a wife to her husband but it changed later on in the Vedic period.
We all know that Lord Surya have three children: Manu, Yama and Yamuna. He was married to Samjna but she was unable to bear the powerful radiations of Surya Therefore, she decided to flee to her maternal home but she left her shadow Chhaya behind so that Surya would never find out that she left his house.

Her shadow Chhaya and Surya had a son but Chhaya was a cruel mother and she used to mistreat her stepson Yama and the step-daughter Yamuna. Both brother and sister loved each other and decided to raise their voice against Chhaya. Yama learnt about Chhaya’s truth. But when Chhaya found Yama was aware of her truth, she cursed him with death and his body’s mutilation.

During Vedic times almost everyone was considered immortal so the curse of death terrified both the brother and sister. The Frightened Yamuna tied a Raksha Sutra around her brother’s wrist because of which he was saved from death hence known as the Lord of Death. There are many other exciting stories related to Raksha Bandhan from the Hindu mythology. 

Rakhi was promoted by Rabindranath Tagore, to promote peace and harmony between communities during the period in which India was ruled by the British. For him, it was more than a symbol of love between brother and sisters. 

In 1905, when the British tried to divide the state of Bengal on the basis of caste and religion, Rabindranath Tagore celebrated Rakhi to strengthen the bond between Hindus and Muslims and asked them to unite to fight against the British.

According to him, the essence of Raksha Bandhan is way beyond blood relations and above the concept of caste and religion.